Sam Asghari Says Witnessing Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Battle Was a ‘Weird Spiral’

Sam Asghari was shocked when he found out about Britney Spears’ conservatorship when the pair first started dating.

“One day I started learning about what the conservatorship is and things like that,” Asghari said on the Monday, January 27, episode of Kate and Oliver Hudson’s “Sibling Revelry” podcast. “And that’s when I was like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I thought, ‘I’m in America, what do you mean somebody doesn’t have their basic human [rights]? What do you mean someone over the age of 18 needs permission from their parents?’”

Asghari, who immigrated from Iran as a child, acknowledged that he was “new” to what the American legal system entailed. However, he felt like he wasn’t the only one who was just learning about Spears’ lack of freedom. (Spears, now 43, was placed under a conservatorship by her father, Jamie Spears, in 2008 following a series of personal struggles. The legal agreement was terminated by a judge in November 2021.)

“It’s such a ridiculous thing in this country to have to deal with,” Asghari continued. “That was by far — I’m not going to say it was difficult because I don’t think anything is difficult — but it was the weirdest thing to deal with.”

The model added that one of the “hardest things” to deal with in the entertainment industry is figuring out the role your parents and loved ones play.

“Everything that happens and everybody that comes into your life that has taken advantage that damages you,” he reflected. “Because those are the people who are closest to you.”

Asghari explained that while other stars may worry about how they’ll be treated by the fans or media, it’s typically not the case since they’re the ones who’ve helped you find success.

“[The fans] will never hurt you. Usually, [it’s] the people that are around you, the people you allow into your inner circle,” he recalled. “You are vulnerable to them and they’ve taken advantage because they think you owe something to them — which is so ridiculous.”

When Spears and Asghari first started dating after meeting on the set of her 2016 music video for “Slumber Party,” he recalled having to be “careful” about the conservatorship issue since he was just her boyfriend at the time. Asghari shared that his main goal was to show Spears that he was there for her.

“I think the best thing you can do is to provide support, and in that moment, that’s what I did. I provided support as much as I could,” he explained, adding that he gave her “information” and “resources” that he thought could be “helpful” in her situation. “[I] really tried to understand … why the conservatorship even happened to begin with,” he said. “This was my experience in life that I had to go through very gently.”

Asghari noted that his “experience” being from “another country” helped him as he remained by Spears’ side through the tough moments in her life. After the pop star’s conservatorship ended, Asghari and Spears tied the knot in June 2022. However, the pair called it quits in August 2023 after one year of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in May 2024.

Despite their relationship coming to an end, Asghari is grateful for the memories they had and referred to their marriage as a “crash course in Hollywood.”

“We were in a relationship for almost seven years, but it was so much we [went] through as a couple,” he said. “We learned so much and it was a beautiful experience.”